8 Resources To Become An Informed + Responsible Voter
Whether it is voting on a national level for President or Congressmen or voting locally for your city officials, it is more important than ever to consider your civic responsibility and make an informed vote at the ballot box. With the increase in social media activism and marketing—ranging from Facebook ads to tweets to viral posts shared thousands of times—it is becoming more difficult to find your information from unbiased, accurate sources.
One of the most critical and important rights that American citizens have is the right to vote and showing up to the polls in local, state, and even presidential elections, educated and knowledgable about each candidate’s platform is essential in casting an informed vote. Not sure where to begin? These resources are here to help you become an informed and responsible voter.
How Does a Person Become an Informed Voter?
Being an educated voter starts with learning about the candidates, the office they are running for, and understanding their platforms and positions on key issues. Being an informed voter also means that you are casting your ballot free of bias or outside forces meant to intentionally skew your perspective from the facts.
If this information seems overwhelming at first, start by visiting each candidate’s official platform and seeking out the issues that matter most to you or your family. This could include: women’s rights, LGBTQIA rights, environmental issues, healthcare, or immigration policy.
Why Is It Important to Be Informed?
While it may seem easier to vote a ‘straight ticket’—that is, simply voting for all Republican or Democratic candidates—it is important to understand a candidate’s full platform. Regardless of whether you identify as a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, each official may have a varying take on a specific issue that is important to you. For example, not all Democrats support abortion equally, while not all Republicans support increased military spending.
What is the Importance of Voting?
It is also important to note that no candidate (yes, this includes the President) can act unilaterally. The United States government is set up in a series of checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power from any specific branch. This means that while the House and Senate may have a majority, the President can still veto bills.
A Congress that is politically split may also find itself in a gridlock due to a lack of bipartisanship. If a Supreme Court seat needs to be appointed, the President can select a nominee, but the Senate must confirm the judge, who can have sweeping effects on future governmental policy.
How Do I know If I Can Vote?
Even before considering who to vote for, make sure that you are registered to vote. Each state will have different voter registration rules and deadlines, but many states allow you to register online or mail in an application. Some states also offer same-day voter registration, which allows you to register and vote at the same time.
If you need resources for registering to vote in your local area, including Voter ID requirements and polling places in your local area, check out Vote.gov.
What Should I Consider When Voting?
Before heading to your local polling location, ask yourself the following questions:
Did I research this candidate thoroughly?
Did the information come from a trusted, reputable source?
Do I feel that this person will be a good representative for the office?
Is my vote free from emotion, prejudice, gender bias, personality or attitude preference, or other vanity metrics?
Does this person’s actions—publicly, privately and professionally—reflect a moral character?
Am I making this decision for myself, free of peer pressure, family relations, or pressure from external forces?
Do I feel comfortable with my decision?
If you answered no to any of these questions, ask yourself:
How can I become more informed?
Did I exhaust my resources?
Do I feel that this candidate would do more harm than good?
Do I resonate with their platform on other issues?
Do I feel that this vote is what is best for my community/city/state/country?
Who Should I Vote For?
When it comes to voting, there is no right (or wrong) answer. The right vote is the vote that resonates most with you personally and the issues that you, your family, and your community value most. You should vote for the candidate that you feel is most qualified to do the best possible job in the office for which they are being elected.
However, it is important to note that no candidate is guaranteed to win, no matter how strong the public support appears to be. Abstaining from voting for your candidate because “They always win” or “My vote doesn’t matter anyway,” can be a dangerous position to take. In recent years, as voter turnout has increased, many elections have resulted in very narrow victories, often requiring close scrutiny of ballots and recounts. Often, especially at the local level, a candidate may win simply from voter apathy, a term used to describe a lack of voter interest.
How to Educate Yourself to Vote
There are a variety of voter tools and websites to help you vote. Each of these tools is filled with unbiased information on a wide range of topics, key issues, voting records, and voter education resources to help you make the most informed vote possible.
Vote.org uses technology to simplify political engagement, increase voter turnout, and strengthen American democracy. Use Vote.org to check your voter registration, register to vote, vote by mail, find polling locations, and get election reminders.
Vote Smart provides free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to all Americans. You can use Vote Smart to search a candidate’s biography, voting record, position on social issues, speeches and their campaign funding.
If you are looking to dig deep into a candidate’s history on key issues and platform, Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Firmly committed to neutrality, all 303,000 encyclopedic articles on Ballotpedia are accurate and verifiable information on government officials and the offices they hold, political issues and public policy, elections, candidates, and the influencers of politics.
Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. For over 30 years, Rock the Vote has been instrumental with revolutionizing technology and empowering young people to vote and participate in democracy to increase voter turnout.
Know Your Vote is a social impact organization, sharing nonpartisan, publicly available information on each candidate from government and academic sources. With a belief rooted in transparency, all facts can be checked with direct links to all data sources.
The League is a nonpartisan organization, encouraging informed and active participation in government, including fighting voter suppression & redistricting.
An extension of the League of Women Voters, Vote 411 ensures that voters have the information they need to participate in every election, including state and local elections, through easy to understand guides to ballot issues. Vote 411 also provides information on absentee voting, early voting, eligibility requirements, and voter registration.
OpenSecrets.org is one of the most comprehensive sources for federal campaign contributions and lobbying data. As a nonpartisan and independent nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics focuses on money’s role in influencing elections, politics, and public policy. By analyzing and tracking contributions and money, Open Secrets is working towards transparency to inform and engage Americans.